Translate

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Today's #flashfiction Simon Writes

“You are what you eat.”

Ronald McDonald* #quote

When I look into a mirror I always meet someone really relatable.
Anyway onto the flash fiction!

Simon Writes

King Simon of Simonland “served” the people with an egotistical
yet distant iron fist. Few people saw his face except his court. He
didn't approach the crowds in dramatic speeches. Paintings of the
king were distributed throughout the land. This was because Simon
didn't like speaking. He often mumbled and preferred to write out his
orders. He wrote quickly and read quickly and every citizen possessed
the right to write a letter to King Simon.

Everyone knew the King's handwriting. He did not have anyone write
orders on his behalf. No secretary signatures. Even for the small tax
collection orders in the smallest of villages he wrote the order.
Anything that represented him he wrote. Forging his signature meant
instant execution.

He read reports on what went on in his kingdom day in and day out.
He enjoyed issuing orders big and small. His iron fist meant total
control. He oppressed or let people live happily as if he wrote
stories with his letters. People needed authorization from him for
their marriages, and he denied them sometimes if he didn't like the
pairing. He imagined the distant people all over his land. “Ah, the
couple in that little mountain village in the South. That stable boy
misses his taxes so much he's certainly no match for that wonderful
girl who works so hard on those dresses”. Because he signed off on
every permit and document he knew about the girl's dresses. Her
father got permits to be a merchant, the daughter a young worker's
and travelers permit to buy supplies. Simon made permits for
everything. He wanted to control and learn more about his kingdom.

On a beautifully sunny afternoon Simon received a letter from
someone who called themselves simply “The New Order”.

Simon raised his eyebrow, “What a strange letter.” The man
hardly spoke and unraveled the letter.

The letter's text was short and followed the usual format of any
letter the king received. Despite being king of the land every letter
started Dear Simon since that's how the letter's reached the king
when his father locked him in the tower during his childhood.

Dear Simon,

We, The New
Order are a movement against your tyrannical reign. Throughout our
lives as subjects we've experienced your letters as dreaded news of
whatever fate your whim has decided for us. That is why we find it
fitting to give our news in the form of a letter. You are being
overthrown. We are storming the castle today, more than half the army
is on our side, you will die by nightfall no matter how far you run.

King Simon didn't run. He simply did all knew how to do, he began
writing his response.